The Shadow Maritime Minister has called for an urgent review into changes which involve the closure of Liverpool Coastguard’s co-ordination centre.

From today , those who phone 999 or put out a mayday signal off the Merseyside coast will have their call dealt with by a centre in Holyhead, North Wales, rather than one at Crosby.

Dedicated volunteers carrying out the rescues will still be based at Crosby but the co-ordination centre there will close.

Labour Shadow Maritime Minister, Gordon Marsden, has raised fears over the changes as well as understaffing at coastguard centres in recent months.

He said: “Besides the dangerous and increasing understaffing, it’s been confirmed to me that not a single coastguard has transferred from Liverpool to Holyhead. That’s likely to mean an invaluable knowledge of the local coastline has been lost. Meanwhile Holyhead now has to deal with a huge swathe of the English and Scottish west coast.

“If the programme of changes to the coastguard is not fit for purpose, Government should be addressing this urgently and not allow the facts to be obscured.

“Liverpool and Holyhead are a particular source of concern because of the size of the areas they oversee, but they are typical of other areas across the country now chronically short of experienced staff.”

He added: “The Maritime Minister John Hayes promised campaigners after meeting with them that he would seek a full review of the progress of the programme (of coastguard changes). He now needs to come good on this and urgently.”

Parliamentary questions put by Mr Marsden and answered on Monday revealed that understaffing at the Liverpool centre continued to increase in its last full month of operations.

In December 2014, 252 hours were staffed below risk-assessed levels, a third of all shifts. This compared to 180 hours in December 2013.

Mr Marsden says he is concerned understaffing will continue at Holyhead but the Maritime and Coastguard Agency says there will be more staff at the North Wales centre under the new system.

“Decades of knowledge about our coastlines, which in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death, are being lost, and ministers seem staggeringly complacent about the reliability of the technology as a replacement.”

Sue Todd, who was in charge of Liverpool’s co-ordination centre between 1998 and 2008, spoke to reassure people about the closure.

She said: “I’m fairly confident that we can develop this into the system we want it to be. That’s not to say there won’t be teething problems.

“I’m fairly confident the technology is in place and working as it should be and the staff are as well prepared as they can be.

“In terms of the level of service we provide it will be equivalent if not better. In terms of our ability to put the resources where they’re needed it will be significantly improved.

“In the past if Liverpool was dealing with a major incident there would be little support from other stations because the technology hasn’t allowed it.”

When the Crosby base closes the building will be turned into a coastal hub training centre for volunteers from North Wales and the north west.

There are 11 workers there who are taking voluntary redundancy. Three staff will remain, two will be transferred to other government departments and one is moving to another coastguard co-ordination centre.